Both sides created chances in an entertaining start to the match before Ashley Cole broke the deadlock with a diving header from Didier Drogba's right-wing cross after 32 minutes.

The game could have turned early in the second half when Robbie Keane appealed for a penalty after being challenged by Ricardo Carvalho in the Chelsea box, but referee Howard Webb waved play on.

Ledley King was withdrawn after suffering a hamstring problem and Chelsea took advantage to go 2-0 ahead through Michael Ballack following good work by Frank Lampard.

Drogba made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute after a determined run past Vedran Corluka and Chelsea cruised through to the final whistle to move three points clear at the top of the table.

The closing stages were overshadowed by a nasty injury to Sebastien Bassong, while Drogba was also forced off and there were eight minutes of stoppage time.

Bright startChelsea almost went ahead in the seventh minute when an angled drive from Jose Bosingwa cannoned off the crossbar.

But the Blues had Petr Cech to thank in the 11th minute when Jermain Defoe sprinted clear of the Chelsea defence only to see the Blues keeper stick out a leg to deny him.

Tottenham were now enjoying the majority of the possession and Jermaine Jenas was inches wide with a 20-yard drive that had Cech beaten.

It was enough to encourage Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti off his seat and into the technical area.

His presence almost had an immediate effect as Lampard headed just wide from a cross by Nicolas Anelka in the 17th minute.

In the 22nd minute Anelka sent a powerful volley into the side netting after a cross from Florent Malouda had made its way across the six-yard box without attention from the Spurs defenders.

Chelsea felt they should have had a penalty in the 31st minute when Ballack collided with Corluka but Webb rejected their appeals.

But his decision was of little consequence when Chelsea went ahead a minute later.

Drogba turned supplier with a superb cross into the middle of the Spurs penalty area and Cole got in front of Corluka to put a diving header into the net beyond former Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini.

EruptedThe game had erupted into life and it was now a full-blooded derby with tackles flying in from both sides.

Drogba was the target for some rough stuff from the Spurs players as the temperature began to rise.

Chelsea won a free-kick in a central position some 25 yards out when Tom Huddlestone jumped into Ballack two minutes before the interval. But Drogba hit the free-kick straight at Tottenham's defensive wall.

Chelsea should have gone two in front in the 46th minute but Lampard drove wide after Drogba had found him with a low cross.

In the build-up to Lampard's chance, Spurs defender King sustained a knock that forced his retirement from the action.

Alan Hutton replaced the stricken King with Corluka moving from right-back into the centre of defence alongside Bassong.

Spurs were furious in the 54th minute when Keane went down under a challenge from Carvalho.

Referee Webb rejected Tottenham's appeals but TV replays appeared to show that the Chelsea defender had clipped the Spurs striker's heels.

The debate continued to rage on the pitch with Keane protesting to both Carvalho and Webb that it should have been a spot-kick.

Made to payChelsea made Spurs pay moments later when Ballack made it 2-0. Drogba's 57th-minute shot was well saved by Cudicini but Lampard followed up to roll the ball back into the six-yard box where Ballack was waiting to poke it home from point-blank range.

Chelsea were at their fluid best with a two-goal cushion and Bosingwa forced Cudicini into another save with a left-foot drive from 20-yards.

Not surprisingly the Blues went three in front in the 62nd minute when Drogba fired home from six yards for his fifth goal of the season.

Cudicini almost gifted Chelsea a fourth in the 73rd minute when he allowed a shot by substitute John Obi Mikel to creep under his body.

But the Italian keeper was alert enough to recover the ball before it could cross the goal-line.

It got worse for Spurs when centre-half Bassong fell awkwardly on his shoulder and had to be carried off after lengthy treatment. He was replaced by Niko Kranjcar.

But Chelsea also lost striker Drogba with a calf injury in the 83rd minute which will give coach Ancelotti real cause for concern if he is out for any length of time.